Category Archives: August

Today in Madonna History: August 4, 2002

August 4, 2015 By in 2002, August Tags: , , 1 Comment

madonna-mini-cooper-1 madonna-mini-cooper-2 madonna-mini-cooper-3 madonna-mini-cooper-4 madonna-mini-cooper-5 madonna-mini-cooper-6 madonna-mini-cooper-7 madonna-mini-cooper-8 madonna-mini-cooper-9 madonna-mini-cooper-10

On August 4 2002, Madonna took delivery of a $40,000 Mini Cooper.

Workers at the Cowley car plant in Oxfordshire gave it the personal touch by signing their names on the underside of the chassis. A worker at the Mini Cooper car plant said: “We are all so proud that Madonna is such a big fan of the car. Everyone who worked on it left their signature, either inside or under the bonnet. If anyone doubted this was a classy car before, they can certainly think again now Madonna has bought one.”

A custom Mini Cooper later appeared in the American Life music video, and promotional mini versions (no pun intended) were distributed when the American Life album was released.

Today in Madonna History: August 3, 2012

August 3, 2015 By in 2012, August Tags: , 1 Comment

turn-up-the-radio

On August 3 2012, Madonna’s Turn Up The Radio was released as the third single from the MDNA album in the United Kingdom.

The examiner reviewed the single and noted:

Turn Up the Radio should have been the first single, not the third. The song is light, fun and has a killer hook.

In a world where ageism doesn’t exist, Turn Up the Radio would become one of the biggest pop anthems ever. It certainly competes with Madonna’s other classic songs such as Vogue, Holiday, and Into the Groove. However, we live in a world where a new song from a singer over 40 (particular a female singer) is not welcome at contemporary radio.

 

Today in Madonna History: August 2, 2008

August 2, 2015 By in 2008, August Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment

madonna-give-it-2-me-august-2-1 madonna-give-it-2-me-august-2-2 madonna-give-it-2-me-august-2-3 madonna-give-it-2-me-august-2-4

On August 2 2008, the second single from Madonna’s Hard Candy album, Give It 2 Me, debuted at #2 on the Hot Dance Singles Chart in the USA. The single would go on to spend 3 non-consecutive weeks at #1.

Here’s the AllMusic.com review of the single by Anthony Tognazzini:

Madonna’s Hard Candy continued the electronica-oriented, disco-centric vibe she began with Confessions on a Dance Floor, and Give It 2 Me, the album’s second single, is a case in point. Co-written and co-produced by industry heavyweight Pharrell Williams, Give It 2 Me pulses, surges, and sashays with all the pop smarts that her fans expect from Madonna.

The Give It 2 Me maxi-single contains 8 remixes of the song from artists as diverse as Paul Oakenfold, Freddie Le Grand, and Sly & Robbie (whose dancehall interpretation of the track truly takes it someplace new). The remixes highlight the song’s incessant danceability, and should have any Madonna fan, especially those of Hard Candy, gyrating with pleasure.

Today in Madonna History: August 1, 1989

August 1, 2015 By in 1989, August Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

madonna-cherish-august-1-89-1 madonna-cherish-august-1-89-3madonna-cherish-august-1-89-4  madonna-cherish-august-1-89-2

On August 1 1989, the third single from Madonna’s Like a Prayer album, Cherish, was released by Sire Records. The song was written and produced by Madonna an Patrick Leonard.

The single was released on 7″, 12″, CD and cassette single formats. The b-side featured a previously unreleased track, Supernatural.

Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli talking about Cherish in his book, Madonna: An Intimate Biography:

“Cherish was a particular triumph for the Madonna/Patrick Leonard partnership. A delightful confection of radio-ready proportions, the song had it all—strong, positive, remarkably dysfunction-free lyrics about love, a memorable, singalong vocal melody, and a tight, pungent rhythm arrangement. It remains, quite simply, one of the best songs Madonna has ever written; sweet and happy, but by no means corny, it’s a perfectly constructed pop song which Madonna delivered beautifully, and with undeniably sassy charm. Indeed, if Cherish had been released in the Sixties, it would have most likely emanated from Detroit’s Motown or the New York song writing Mecca, the Brill Building.”

Today in Madonna History: August 31, 2006

August 31, 2014 By in 2006, August Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

Confessions Tour

On August 31 2006, Madonna played the fourth of four sold-out dates at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy-Paris during her Confessions Tour. The show played to nearly 68,000 fans at the venue during its tour run.

Madonna has become quite familiar with the Palais Omnisports over the years, having played a combined total of 19 sold-out concerts at the venue between 1990 and 2009 for roughly 320,000 fans.

The venue was also used to film two of her shows – 1990’s Blond Ambition Tour and 2004’s Re-Invention Tour. Ironically, both films were used as part of documentaries – Truth or Dare and I’m Going To Tell You A Secret respectively. Since both documentaries focused equally on behind-the-scenes and on-stage content, only select performances could be featured in each. The complete shows for both tours filmed at the venue remain unreleased, much to the bewilderment of fans.

Today In Madonna History: August 30, 2012

August 30, 2014 By in 2012, August Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

turn_up_the_radio video 550 turn up the radio remixes cover 550Turn-Up-The-Radio music video 550

On August 30 2012, Turn Up The Radio jumped to the top position on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart, earning Madonna a record-extending 43rd number-one single on the chart.

Marking a sign of the times, the single and remixes were sold exclusively to digital retailers and were sadly not given a physical release on any format (aside from scarce promotional copies), in any country. This was the first time in Madonna’s career that an international commercial single was unavailable to record shops and collectors either through domestic distribution or as an import.

We hope that Interscope realizes that there are many old-school Madonna fans who still enjoy collecting physical releases – and we’re willing to pay for them. So what will it be Interscope? Would you like to earn some extra bucks with the singles from Madonna’s next album, or are you going to leave collectors with padded pockets?

Today in Madonna History: August 29, 1989

August 29, 2014 By in 1989, August Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

Cherish Single

On August 29 1989, the music video for Cherish – the third single from the album Like A Prayer – premiered in Canada.

The song was written by Madonna & Patrick Leonard and was one of the first tracks completed for the album. Madonna had been reading Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet during breaks from rehearsals for the play Speed The Plow, which inspired the lyrics for the song.

The video was filmed on July 22, 1989 at Paradise Cove Beach in Malibu, California. It marked the first time that late photographer Herb Ritts had crossed over to shooting and directing a music video, which he agreed to do reluctantly at Madonna’s insistence. He quickly became a highly sought-after music video director, winning numerous awards for his work within the medium.

“Cherish” hit the top of the charts in Canada on October 9th, spending two weeks at number-one. It went on to become the ninth best-selling single of the year with a total of seventeen weeks on the RPM Singles chart.

While no maxi-single was issued for Cherish in North America, the single included the previously unreleased Like A Prayer outtake Supernatural – another collaboration with Patrick Leonard.